4SS: 22 Of All Evil
by Ta1u1a
Summary: 22 of 22 in the 4th Sister Series, alternate season 4. The Source kidnaps Tara, and the sisters must rely on the help of the mysterious stranger to save Tara's life and defeat the Source.


Of All Evil  
>Series Finale of the Fourth Sister Series<p>

Music Credit: Fear by Sarah McLachlan

* * *

><p>Everybody was stunned. They all stood, just staring at each other. They were still in shock from the Source's attack, and they were trying to process what the young woman before them had said. She knew she had to break the silence.<p>

"Okay, so you're going to ask me what the hell I'm talking about," she said, pointing at Piper. "And then Phoebe's gonna ask how I got here. And Price will ask me to prove it because she's the journalist and it's her job to find the proof. So since we've got all that down, how about we skip it and come up with a plan for getting Tara back?"

"Well based on that, I'd say she definitely could be Piper's daughter," Price joked. "You may know the questions we would have asked, but you didn't answer them."

"Okay you want proof, like I said." She pointed past Price into the parlor. "Watch the Cosmo on the coffee table."

They all looked at the Cosmopolitan magazine and watched as it disappeared from the table and instantly reappeared in her hand.

"Fifty ways to please your man," she read off the cover. Then she tossed it on a nearby table. "Interesting reading material."

"Okay, but Phoebe and I have traveled to the past. When we did it we didn't have powers. You have powers," Piper said.

"Because only one me can have powers in one time. Thankfully, baby me has her powers bound," she said. "That leaves them for me."

"Why are you here?" Phoebe asked.

"To fulfill my destiny," she said. "You know about the prophecy that says I'm supposed to kill the Source. That's why I'm here. I was waiting for this attack tonight so I could ambush him. Didn't turn out exactly like I had planned it. Seems my timing was a little off because dad's memory isn't as good as he says it is."

"Excuse me?" Leo asked.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is getting down to the Underworld so I can finish what I came here to do," she said.

"Why did you come alone?" Piper asked, wondering how her future self could have possibly let her daughter come to the past alone to face the Source.

"I would've welcomed some company, but unfortunately since I was in the future alone I had to come to the past alone," she said.

"You were alone? Where were we?" Leo asked.

"Take a wild guess," she said. She pointed to Piper first, then to Phoebe and Price and Leo. "Tonight, the Source. Tomorrow, the Source. Six years from now, the Source. Ten years from now, darklighter."

"You've been alone since you were ten?" Piper asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Not really. Uncle Darryl let me live with him till I was sixteen. Then I took off on my own, fighting demons and trying to figure out how to defeat the Source," she explained. "But he was too strong in my time. I had to come back to when he was weaker."

"And how do you plan on defeating the Source?" Price asked. Melinda lifted her sword.

"I blessed the sword with my own blood and an incantation invoking the power of the entire Warren line," she explained. "One cut and the power will work its way into his system. No more Source."

"You make it sound so easy," Phoebe commented.

"Well, as you saw, it's not as easy as it sounds," she said. She holstered the sword. "So, dad…mind giving me a lift to the Underworld?"

"Whoa, you can't just go like that," Piper said. "You may think it's as simple as scratching the Source with your sword there, but this is the Source we're talking about. The Source of all evil. Have you ever faced him before?"

"Once. The night she died," Melinda replied, pointing at Price.

"When you were six?" Price asked.

"I summoned a fireplace poker and stabbed him in the leg," she said with a smirk. "Distracted him long enough for dad to orb me out." She looked around the house. "It's been forever since I've been in the Manor. But we don't really have time for nostalgia, now do we? If we don't get down to the Underworld, he's going to torture and kill Tara. I don't know about you, but I'd like to stop that."

"You're talking about vanquishing the Source on his turf," Leo said. "What makes you think you'll be able to do it alone?"

"Because the prophecy said I bring about the destruction of the Source," she said. "I is singular. Alone."

"It's not that simple. We're helping you," Phoebe said.

"No, you and mom will die. I came back to…"

"You came back to fulfill the prophecy and defeat the Source," Piper said, knowing what Melinda had really come to do. "No matter what else happens tonight, you must make that part happen. The past isn't as easy to change as you might think." Piper took a deep breath and began thinking about the plan. "So, first things first, baby Melinda needs to be taken someplace safe. If anything happens to her, none of this will matter."

"Leo, you can take her up there to Becca," Price said. "She practically raised me along with Alicia. She'll take really good care of her."

"Actually, you won't be able to leave her with Rebecca," Melinda said. She turned and began pacing in the parlor. "Just find someone up there who can look after her for a little while. We won't be gone long."

"Why can't he leave her with Rebecca?" Phoebe asked.

"Because he can't. Please don't ask. We don't have time for explanations. Every second I'm explaining something to you, that's another second the Source has to torture Tara."

"Something's happened to Becca," Price said, seeing the uneasy look in Melinda's eyes. "What's happened to Becca?"

"We don't have time for this," Melinda said, her voice shaking. She walked further into the parlor, away from Price.

"We'll make time," Price said. She grabbed Melinda by the arm. "What has happened to Becca?"

Melinda looked at her watch and shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything." She sighed and looked Price in the eyes. "Rebecca was killed by a darklighter. Dad didn't know because it just happened, so don't yell at him."

Price's hand fell from Melinda's arm and her face fell. Phoebe and Piper both approached, and Phoebe put her arm around Price's shoulders. Tears began falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," Melinda said. "Look, you guys don't have to come. This is my prophecy. All I need is for dad to take me down to the Underworld. The rest is up to me."

"No," Price said. She wiped away her tears and turned to Melinda. "You can't face the Source alone. We're going with you."

"Price…" Piper began. She watched Price shake her head and take a deep breath.

"So, this is what it feels like to lose someone you love to evil," she said with a small chuckle. "I've finally joined the club, huh?"

"Sweetie, it would be okay if you stayed behind," Phoebe said.

"You could be the one to protect Melinda," Piper added. Price just shook her head.

"Uh, Leo, you can track Tara down in the Underworld, right?" she said, trying to get off the subject of Rebecca. "She's a witch, so you can track her."

"Yes, of course," Leo said. "I should be able to. I was able to track Phoebe when…" He paused. "I should be able to."

Piper shot wary glances at Phoebe and Leo, but decided the best thing to do at this moment was work on their plan. "Well, my power doesn't work on him. We all saw that," she said. "So we're going to need other methods of defense."

"We'll need potions and spells. Things to distract him so Melinda can get to him," Phoebe said.

"I'll take the baby up there," Leo said. "While you work on this."

Leo orbed out and the four witches stood in silence. Price pulled away from Phoebe and walked into the kitchen. They all watched her, and then Piper and Phoebe looked to Melinda.

"I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her, split her focus," she said.

"I don't know if this will split her focus," Phoebe said. Melinda looked somewhat confused.

Piper looked back to the kitchen. "I think you know what we mean. Tragedy brought on by evil makes Warren women focus more."

* * *

><p>The Source paced in front of Tara, who was chained to a wall with her hands above her head. He had yet to do anything to her. It appeared as if he was contemplating how exactly he wanted to make her suffer. She looked up at him in fear.<p>

"Why are you wasting your time with this single witch?" the Oracle asked him. "Right now the Charmed Ones and that sword-toting stranger are up there making potions and writing spells and coming up with plans to destroy you."

"And how do you know this?" the Source asked, turning angrily to the Oracle. "Have you seen it?"

"No, however, I still see the prophecy of the child bringing your downfall," the Oracle said. "The prophecy is still at hand, and you are wasting your time with this puny witch instead of fortifying your power."

"How can you be so sure of my defeat? Have you seen my future?"

"That's the problem," she said. "You have no future. Your future is blank to me."

The Source growled and turned away from the Oracle. "Leave me now. I will have my revenge on this witch, and then I will destroy the Charmed Ones and finally the child. I will see the Warren line destroyed." He looked over to the Oracle, who was still standing there. "Go!"

She disappeared from the chamber in an orange glow and the Source turned back to Tara. "Now, witch, you will pay for your meddling."

* * *

><p>"So, we've got explosive potions, potions that create blinding light, potions that paralyze…" Phoebe paused as she was looking through all the bottles. She picked up one that had a yellowish liquid in it. "What's this one?"<p>

Piper looked over momentarily and then went back to the potion she was working on. "That's a perfume sample I got in the mail a few days ago," she said. Phoebe set it aside and went back to looking over their inventory.

"We're looking good. What's the potion you're working on now?" Phoebe asked.

"Causes hallucinations," Piper replied. She carefully set the spoon aside and put on a pair of rubber gloves. "Don't get it on your skin because that's how it gets into your system."

"Yikes. Where do we learn this stuff?" Phoebe asked.

"It's our family heritage," Piper quipped with a grin.

"Um, dare I ask if the hallucination potion wears off?"

"It does…after a couple hours. It's kind of like LSD," she replied. Phoebe's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Not that I've ever done LSD." They both looked up when Price, Melinda and Leo entered the kitchen.

"How's it going?" Melinda asked.

"Good. We've got plenty of potions," Phoebe said. "What about spells?"

"Luckily I've got a good memory," Melinda said. "I couldn't bring my Book of Shadows back through time so I had to remember some of the spells that are in it in the future."

"We've got spells to make the ground into quicksand, to create fog and to change a person into any animal of choice," Price said. Melinda chuckled at that one.

"I turned Uncle Darryl into a duck when I was four," she said with a smile. The others couldn't help but laugh as they pictured that situation in their minds. "Dad wouldn't let me have a pet. So I made one."

The phone rang then. The sisters looked at each other and held a silent debate on whether or not they should answer it. A call at this time of night usually meant it was coming from Darryl. Finally Price picked up the phone.

"Price, it's Puck. Darryl and I are at one of the dorms at San Francisco State. Got a couple of dead bodies that aren't your garden variety homicides. We've also got a ransacked dorm room. Guess who lives here."

"Tara," Price said. She knew she didn't have time to give the explanation Puck would want.

"So, you are involved with this," he said.

"Yes, we're handling it. It was the Source that killed those people and destroyed Tara's room," she said. "I've gotta go. He's got Tara."

"Wait a minute, the Source? You told me about him. He's the evil head honcho right? He's the guy you said you three weren't ready to face," Puck said. "Are you going after him tonight?"

"We have to," Price said. "I don't have time to talk about this now Puck. Just do what you can at the dorm."

"Price, wait. You can't go up against him now. You said you weren't ready," he argued. "What if you get killed?"

"That's a risk I have to take. I've gotta go." She paused. "I love you."

She didn't even wait to hear his response before hanging up the phone. The others were watching her, waiting. Finally she spoke.

"So are we ready?"

* * *

><p>Screams echoed throughout the labyrinth of caves that made up the Underworld. Screams of a witch. She was burned and bleeding. He had started with the physical torture first. He had always been a fan of that. But after a while he knew that mental anguish was really his favorite form of torture. He raised Tara's head so she was looking at him through her pain-stricken eyes. He just stared at her for a moment. But then he figured out what had been the worst point in her recent past. He stepped back and changed form until he took the shape of someone Tara knew all too well. Her soul mate. She looked away and started muttering softly.<p>

"You're not Willow. It's not Willow."

"Willow" knelt next to her and gently brushed the back of her hand against the side of Tara's face. Then she used the same hand to slowly raise Tara's head up, while running her other hand through Tara's hair. She ran her hand down Tara's arm slowly and then leaned forward. Their lips almost touched, but she moved her face forward and whispered into Tara's ear, "You're my always. I'd do anything to keep you with me. I gave up magic for you. But you're still in San Francisco. Why?"

"I want to come back," Tara said weakly. "But I don't know…"

"Willow" leaned back. "…if I'm cured?" She stood and smirked. "Sure I'm cured. I'm cured of the intense power that I possess. But I can never really be cured of that, can I? I can just suppress it. For you. I've been suppressing it. But you're still here. You left me when you could have stayed and supported me. What kind of love is that?"

"No, I-I just…"

"Just what?" she asked. Suddenly she morphed into a different form. The designer shoes and flashy, strapless dress left no question as to who it was. Tara recognized her quite well. "You just forgot what your girlfriend did to make you all sane again."

The form of Glory loomed over Tara, and even though Tara knew that Buffy had defeated the hell god, she still wasn't sure what was real anymore.

"Your girlfriend ripped your sanity out of my brain and put it back into yours. Talk about power. Only person other than the Slayer that could give me a run," she said. "You humans are pathetic. You run away from power like it's a bad thing."

"You wouldn't understand," Tara said.

"I don't need to understand. I'm a god. I really don't care," she said with a wave of her hand. She crouched down in front of Tara and looked her in the eyes. "I'm just part of the fun here, silly girl. So it's time to have fun!"

Suddenly she shoved her fingers into the sides of Tara's head, causing the young witch to scream out in pain and terror as she was about to relive one of the worst experiences of her life. But the process was cut short when "Glory" flew through the air and slammed into the cave wall. Tara slumped forward, breathing heavily and whimpering.

"I think you need to keep your hands to yourself," Price commented. Melinda, Piper and Phoebe stood with her, armed with potions and spells. "Glory" morphed back into the Source. He stood and growled in anger.

"Magic forces, good and right, make a fog to block evil's sight. Cloud his view so he can't see. Hidden now we wish to be."

The four witches recited the spell and the cave quickly was filled with fog. It afforded them the perfect cover they needed to get Tara out.

"Phoebe. Price. Get Tara and get her out of here," Piper said. She could see a dark form approaching and she hurled one of the potion bottles at it. There was a bright flash as the potion exploded and the form stumbled backward. Price and Phoebe made their way over to Tara while Melinda charged toward the Source with her sword.

"No no no," Tara said as they unchained her. She looked up at Phoebe with a look of desperation. "You must tell the gods. You must tell them. The words will kill them. Kill."

"Okay, Tara. You got it," Phoebe said. She looked to Price who shrugged her shoulders. They knew that whatever Tara was saying really wasn't important at this point. They just had to get her to Leo.

They started to lead Tara out of the cave when Piper came flying across and slammed into the three of them, causing them all to fall in a heap on the cave floor. When Piper stood she looked over at Phoebe.

"Uh oh," Phoebe said as she looked down at the potion bottled that had broken on her when Piper had collided with the group. "That was the hallucination potion."

"Oh great," Price said. "Okay, Piper, I'll get them out of here. Do you think you and Melinda can handle the Source till I get back?"

"Yeah, just get them to Leo," Piper said. She went to assist Melinda while Price led the others out of the cave.

When Piper turned the fog had almost completely cleared. She could see Melinda fighting the Source hand to hand, but she hadn't made contact with the sword yet. Piper reared back to throw the paralysis potion when the Source hit Melinda with a large energy ball. Melinda flew across the cave and crashed into the wall.

"No!" Piper shouted. The Source turned toward her then and laughed.

"Do you really think you could defeat me in the Underworld? I have to admire that kind of arrogance," he said.

"It's called confidence, dumb-ass," Piper said. She threw the potion and it smashed on the Source. He looked down at himself, wondering if something was supposed to happen. He began laughing again.

"Your little potions are…" he began. But suddenly he stopped in place. He looked around, confused. Piper smiled.

"You were saying?" she asked. Then she hurried over to Melinda to see if she was okay. The young woman was lying motionless on the cave floor. Piper turned her over and checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was very weak. "Melinda. Come on." Piper glanced over at the Source who was still thankfully paralyzed. Price came back into the cave. She shot a look at the Source and then joined Piper.

"Witch! What did you do to me?" the Source bellowed. They ignored him.

"Is she okay?" Price asked.

"I don't think so," Piper said. Melinda's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at them, obviously in pain.

"Mom, I'm sorry…" she began weakly.

"It's okay. Don't worry," Piper said, resting her hand on Melinda's forehead. Price looked over at the Source again. He was trying to figure out how to move.

"Piper. The Source…" Paige urged.

"I couldn't fulfill…the prophecy…" Melinda said. "I have to…"

"You will," Piper said. She grabbed the sword. "Through me. You brought this here. I'll use it."

"Are you sure about that?" Price asked. Piper nodded her head.

"When we had those nightmares, mine told me I would be the one to use this sword," Piper said. She approached the Source and held the sword in front of him. He just glared at her. "It's time to help my daughter fulfill a prophecy!"

Suddenly she thrust the sword forward into the Source's stomach until it was hilt deep and the tip was protruding out of his back. Piper tried to release her grip, but it was like her hands were fused to the sword.

"Noooooooooooo!" the Source bellowed. The cave walls began to shake and a bright light emanated from the wound in the Source's abdomen. It became so bright that Piper and Price both had to close their eyes.

An explosion burst loudly and threw Piper across the cave, causing her to slam into a wall. A large fire ball flashed quickly and the Source disappeared. The echoes of his screams slowly faded after a few moments. Price recovered her senses and moved over to Piper.

"Hey sis, you okay?" Price asked as she helped Piper up.

"I'm gonna feel that in the morning," Piper said as she stood and massaged her lower back. She looked around and saw that not only was the Source gone, but Melinda was gone too. "Where's Melinda? She was right next to you."

"Yeah, I'm not sure," Price said. "After the Source exploded and I opened my eyes she was gone."

"She probably disappeared because she changed her own past," Leo said. He was walking alongside Phoebe with a now sane and healed Tara close behind. "Her past won't happen now because the Source won't be killing any of you. Our daughter's future is a clean slate."

"But if that Melinda can't exist how could she go back in time to help us defeat the Source?" Price asked. No one had an answer and she shook her head. "I hate time travel."

"Does anybody else see three blue rabbits over there?" Phoebe asked, pointing across the cave. "They're dancing and waving at me."

The others just looked at each other, and then Price turned to Tara. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tara said, nodding her head. "Leo, healed me so…no pain."

"What about the rest? The mental stuff?" Price asked.

"I'll be okay. I think the Source actually helped me," she said.

"Um…how?" Piper asked, obviously curious how the greatest evil they had ever faced managed to help Tara.

"He just made me realize I have to go back to Sunnydale and face my fears," she said. "I've been running away."

"Now there's a white rabbit leading the blue rabbits in the Electric Slide," Phoebe said. She would giggle and then the smile would disappear and her brow would furrow in confusion.

"Okay, I think we need to get Phoebe out of here and see if we can figure out an antidote to that potion," Piper said. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Going up," Leo said. Then he orbed them out of the Underworld, leaving the scene of their biggest triumph yet behind.

* * *

><p><em>morning smiles<br>like the face  
>of a newborn child<br>innocent unknowing  
>winter's end<br>promises of a long lost friend  
>speaks to me of comfort<em>

Price stared at an old picture. She was sixteen and Alicia had just given her the keys to a pretty old, but very durable and reliable, car. It was a '65 Chevy Bel Air. It was about three different colors, had dents all over the place, and she had loved it. The engine was great and it was a guy magnet. The picture was of Price and Rebecca sitting on the hood of the car. They had sunglasses on and were pretending to be cool. As she looked at the photograph, Price chuckled at their sheer dorkiness.

But her reminiscent laughter faded at the thought that Rebecca was gone. She had become used to thinking that Rebecca would live forever and thus she would never have to say goodbye to her. The prospect of darklighters had never even frightened Price. Rebecca had been her constant.

A knock at the door dragged Price out of her thoughts. She shoved the picture in the box she had been packing, wiped away a few tears and turned. Phoebe was standing in the doorway with a sympathetic smile plastered across her face. She knew. They all knew. It was familiar territory.

"How's the packing going?" she asked Price.

"Okay. A little slow. But it's not taking as long as it might have. A bunch of my stuff never got unpacked from when I moved in."

"Well, if you want to take a break, Piper's got champagne waiting downstairs. Plus she's working on a huge celebration dinner," Phoebe said. "The Source is gone. I think she even considered inviting the Elders down for the celebration."

"The words sound so weird," Price said. Phoebe looked confused, but smiled when Price explained. "The Source is gone."

"Yeah, after all the hell he put us all through," she said. There was a long silence and the two of them sat on Price's bed together. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I'll probably be in the apartment by this time tomorrow," she said. Phoebe shook her head.

"That's not what I'm talking about," she said. Price knew it wasn't what Phoebe was talking about. She was trying to be the brave little soldier.

"I'm hanging in. I've been trying to avoid the stuff with Becca history," she said. "But it's hard to pack when everything I own has Becca history."

Phoebe grabbed Price's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know what you mean. There's so many things in the Manor and even in the apartment that remind me of Prue and Cole and mom and Grams. After each of them died it tore into my heart…seeing their things." Price nodded her head in complete understanding. "I mean, I can't even imagine how Piper managed to pack all of Prue's things before you came back from Boston."

"She didn't," Price replied with a small smirk. "She made Leo and dad pack most of it."

Phoebe chuckled. "My point is…after a while it hurts less. And instead of hurting me when I see their things, it makes me smile because I start to think of the things we shared. It'll get easier."

"I hope so," Price said quietly. They just sat quietly on the bed together, Price comforted by Phoebe's mere presence. She knew that if she broke down Piper and Phoebe would be at her side in a heart beat. She had plenty of support.

"Can I interrupt?"

They both shook themselves out of the silence to see Puck standing in the doorway. He was leaning on the frame with his hands shoved in his pockets. Price had been waiting for this, but wasn't sure how soon he would come. It hadn't struck as common sense that he would come right away. She had told him she was going to face the most powerful evil ever and then told him she loved him. If that wasn't enough to scare him away, she wasn't sure what was.

"I'm going to go see what Piper's doing now," Phoebe said as she stood and headed out of the room. "We'll let you know when dinner's ready."

Puck and Price didn't move after Phoebe was gone. They just looked at each other.

"Good to see you're still alive," he said. There wasn't really any kind of emotion in that. No sarcasm. Not really even happy. Just a statement. "So you won. And Tara's okay?"

"Yeah," Price answered, barely audible.

Puck sighed and stepped into the room a couple steps. "What you said before you…before you went to hell…"

"I don't expect you to say it back. It was in the heat of the moment and you were totally off guard, but I do want you to know…" She paused and looked over at the picture of Rebecca and herself sitting on the car. "I meant it. I don't take that lightly. When I say it, it's what I feel. If you don't, that's okay."

"I do," Puck said. It was a simple response and Price was shocked. She had been ready for him to go running scared. Commitment was typically something she thought men ran from. "This may be a huge and very cheesy pun, but you've got a spell over me. You don't even know that you've cast it, but you have. I haven't come this far and risked everything to run away from three words. I love you, Price."

_but I fear I have nothing to give  
>I have so much to lose<br>here in this lonely place  
>tangled up in your embrace<br>there's nothing I'd like better than to fall  
>but I fear I have nothing to give<em>

_Wind in time  
>rapes the flower<br>trembling on the vine  
>and nothing yields to shelter it<br>from above  
>they say temptation<br>will destroy our love  
>the never ending hunger<em>

It had been several months since she had seen the house she stood in front of. Part of her was still afraid to go any further. She wanted to turn around and go right back to where she had left. It was safer there. She was less likely to be hurt there, even with all the demons.

Finally she made her legs work and gradually made her way up the front walk and onto the porch. She set her bags next to the door and pressed the door bell. The chimes alerted anyone inside of her presence.

Surprise was an understatement for the reaction she received from the person who answered the door. For a while they just stared at each other. Neither of them reacted to the excited shout from another room in the house.

"Tara's here!" Dawn called. She came bounding down the stairs and squeezed through the doorway past Willow. She wrapped her arms around Tara, pulling the two witches out of the staring contest. "It's about time you came back!"

Tara giggled and returned the hug. "Hey, Dawnie. How's it going?"

"Same old, same old," Dawn said as she released Tara from her grip. "Well, school sucks and the Magic Shop is closed and Anya and Xander aren't together and Anya's a vengeance demon again but she's been blacklisted by her demon friends so she still helps us."

"Good to see your motor mouth hasn't changed," Tara joked. Dawn pretended to be offended.

"You're lucky I'm happy to see you," she said. Then she grabbed Tara's bags and led her into the house. Willow just stepped back out of the way. Buffy was coming down the stairs as the front door closed.

"Hey!" she said. She gave Tara a quick hug. "Welcome back. What spawned this visit?"

"It's not a visit," Tara said. "I'm going back to get the rest of my stuff next weekend."

"You're staying?" Willow asked. "In…in Sunnydale I mean. You're not staying here, right? Probably. I don't want to assume. Because we all know what happens when we assume. So, you're not going to live in San Francisco anymore?"

"I'm staying in Sunnydale," she replied. "And I'm staying here. If you'll have me."

"Of course we will!" Dawn said excitedly. Buffy shot a disapproving look at her but Dawn shrugged it off.

"I think you two need to catch up," Buffy said. She grabbed her sister's arm. "Come on Dawn. Let's go call Xander and get a welcome back party going."

After Buffy had dragged Dawn into the kitchen, Tara sat on one end of the sofa and Willow sat on the other.

"So, why did you come back? What happened?" Willow asked.

"Well, I kind of got captured by the Source of all evil and then he tortured me and made me realize that I was a fool," Tara said. "I was hiding from you."

"From me?"

"I still think that too much power might turn out wrong," Tara said, making sure her stance on Willow's witchcraft was still clear. "But my leaving you isn't going to keep that from happening. And it's not going to keep me happy."

"I promise you, I'm okay. I know what I did before was wrong. Messing with people's minds…"

"I know you know that," Tara said. "And I know that we can make this work. It has to work."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

_but I fear I have nothing to give  
>I have so much to lose<br>tangled up in your embrace  
>there's nothing I'd like better than to fall<br>but I fear I have nothing to give  
>I have so much to lose<br>I have nothing to give  
>we have so much to lose<em>

Phoebe walked into the mausoleum and looked around. There was still some evidence of her torture session with the demon called Shee. But she ignored that. She was here for a reason. With the Source dead, Price as her roommate, and a very promising future, Phoebe knew it was time for closure. It was time to move on. Time to cherish the happy memories and stop dwelling on the pain. She stood and looked around.

"I don't know why I came here. I guess it seems like the place I associate most with you," she said. She had to say goodbye. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. You always said that your home wasn't a place, that your home was wherever I was. I just think it's time for me to end the pain. I've cried all the tears I can cry. I just need to say that I love you Cole. I loved you from the moment we met. I will always love you. You're my soul mate. I will never forget you."

She rested her hand on the tomb and stared at the letters on the side, the ones that spelled out the name of Cole's father.

"I have to move on Cole. I'll always love you."

She could feel herself at ease already. She had said everything she needed to say. It's like once the words were formed and said, even though there really wasn't an audience, she had released her burden. She had said it all. And it was time to go. She turned and headed out of the mausoleum, on her way back to the Manor to celebrate the biggest victory for good in a long time.

With the Source gone, the future was an open book. Evil would be fighting for power, and the demons would always come. But after the Source everything else seemed like an easy vanquish. Whatever came, the power of three would handle—supernatural or otherwise.

THE END


End file.
